Poteet Varsity Agates Courtney Criswell and Emily Akers defend the net during their scrimmage against Three Rivers last Friday afternoon at Poteet High. The Agates travel to Stockdale this weekend for a two day tournament. After just a week of workouts, Brush Country Volleyball squads got underway with a weekend full of scrimmages. This week the kneepads are on and the wrists are taped, as the 2012 season has begun. Here is a look at what area coaches had to say about their workouts and scrimmages.

Pleasanton Lady Eagles- After a hard week of practice, the Lady Eagles competed through two days of scrimmages last weekend. The first day pitted Pleasanton against Hondo and South San in Medina Valley.

“The South San scrimmage went pretty well. We had some very good moments and then we had moments where we kind of just watched the game instead of playing it. All in all, it went well. As far as Hondo is concerned, we accomplished everything we wanted to work on. They didn’t have a full team though, due to dual credit classes that day,” stated Coach Gabriel Aguirre.

On Saturday, Pleasanton hosted the Lytle Lady Pirates and Luling Lady Eagles at the Sports Complex for the final preparation for the season.

“Lytle was a very good scrimmage and I could see that the girls were starting to get comfortable with each other. Against Luling, we started to show how good we could be up front as we dominated them at the net. We turned in a very good defensive effort,” stated Coach Aguirre.

This past Tuesday night, the Lady Eagles opened their season at home against the George West Lady Horns and the Devine Arabians with their annual duel.

On Wednesday, August 15th the FEAST Patriots come to town for a 5:00 p.m. Jv and a 6:00 p.m. varsity contest.

On Friday, Pleasanton travels to Ft. Sam Houston for a one-day tournament. Pleasanton will face Kenedy at 8:30 a.m., Natalia at 12:15 p.m. and Pearsall at 1:30 p.m. Bracket play will then begin later in the afternoon. Other teams in the tourney include S.A. Stacey, School of Excellence, Cole and Dilley.

On Monday, August 20th the Lady Eagles travel to St. Anthony to battle the Lady Jackets with the freshmen, jv and varsity teams playing.

Poteet Agates- The Poteet Agates are excited about the potential of their squad as Coach Angelica Garcia enters her second season at the helm of the program. This past weekend, Poteet competed in two days of scrimmages and looked good overall.

“We played on Friday against Three Rivers and Burbank. They were intense games and I feel like we played very well for it being the first week. On Saturday, we faced Roosevelt, St. Anthony and Bracken Christian. These teams were a good challenge for us, but I felt like we held our own and played well. All in all, we have done well thus far, but still have a ways to go,” stated Garcia.

The Agates opened their season at home on press day against Stockdale and Charlotte. The Agates were able to defeat both squads to start off 2-0. On Thursday, Poteet travels to Stockdale to take part in their Invitational Tournament. Poteet will face Stockdale at 9:00 a.m., Jourdanton at 12:00 noon and Runge at 3:00 p.m. Bracket play will follow on Saturday.

On Tuesday, August 21st the Marion Lady Bulldogs will bring their district champion squad to town for what should be an intense match-up with games beginning at 5:00 p.m.

Jourdanton Squaws- Jourdanton also took part in scrimmage weekend, as Coach Tabitha Fogle is back to lead the Tribe this season once again. On Friday, Jourdanton hosted the McMullen County Cowgirls and the Holy Cross Knights in scrimmage action. On Saturday, they faced Bandera and Nixon-Smiley.

“It was a great way for our team to start off the season during the scrimmage weekend. We were able to get a taste of what we are starting the season off with and what is needed as far as improvement goes. Our girls are working harder than they have before, so we wanted them to see how it can pay off. With their continued dedication, we have great potential in store for us,” stated Coach Fogle.

Jourdanton opened their season on press day in Pearsall as they faced the Lady Mavericks. On Thursday, they travel to Stockdale for a twoday tourney. The Squaws face Runge at 10:00 a.m., Poteet at 12:00 noon and Stockdale at 1:00 p.m.

Bracket play for the tournament will continue on Saturday with times TBA.

On Tuesday, August 21st Jourdanton travels to Charlotte to face Karnes City and the Trojanettes in dual action at times TBA.

McMullen County Cowgirls- Coach Darcy Remmers is excited at the potential of her squad, as they continue to get acquainted with a new system she is implementing. Last weekend, the Cowgirls faced Jourdanton and Holy Cross in scrimmage action along with Pettus.

“We looked better each time we hit the court. The girls are doing a great job of accepting the changes I am trying to implement. We are ready to get non-district action underway,” stated Coach Remmers.

On press day, McMullen County was in Kenedy facing the Leopards, the Ben Bolt Lady Badgers and the Ganado Indians in final scrimmage action.

On Friday night, August 17th the Cowgirls will welcome Victoria Christian for a 5:00 p.m. varsity only contest.

This Saturday, August 18th Tilden travels to Pettus for a one-day tournament. The Cowgirls face Skidmore-Tynan at 10:15 a.m. and Prairie Lea at 11:45 followed by bracket play.

On Tuesday, August 21st the Cowgirls will battle the Agua Dulce Lady Horns at Tilden High School at 4:00 p.m. with a varsity only contest.

Charlotte- The Trojanettes are working hard and getting familiar with their new head coach, Tina Newman. Be sure to read Marissa Valdez article on Coach Newman.

The Trojanettes began scrimmage action last Friday on the road against the Kenedy Leopards.

On press day, the Trojanettes battled hard, but dropped their opening duel to Poteet and Stockdale.

On Friday, August 17th the Trojanettes will welcome the Leakey Lady Eagles to town with games at 5:00 and 6:00 p.m.

On Tuesday, August 21st the Karnes City Lady Badgers and the Jourdanton Squaws come to town for dual action with games TBA.

All Brush Country Volleyball schedules along with tournament brackets are available on our website. Be sure to visit www.pleasantonexpress.com and click on sports tab followed by the sports related documents tab.